Letters to the Editor – Weekly Issue of September 6, 2010

Readers write in about the US economy, the Iraq war, and print journalism.

September 6, 2010

Stimulus: Buy US goods

Regarding the article "The intricate task of recovery" (Aug. 16 double issue): A congressional budget analyst is quoted as saying, "[I]t's a choice between putting people back to work and cutting the deficit. You cannot do both." This implies that we need more government stimulus to create jobs, thereby increasing the deficit.

I suggest that we can do both: To the extent possible, and unless there is some compelling reason not to, buy products made in America. Although it has reached the point where it is nearly impossible to find such items as tools, clothing, and hardware made in the US (we can thank many of our own businesses for this), we can still buy many US-made products, such as automobiles and appliances, and our businesses can still buy trucks, machine tools, and construction equipment made here.

While there are other factors at play, such as international currency manipulation, this is something we can do to help provide jobs for our workers and restore our economy without adding to the deficit.

I was surprised to read in your editorial "A 'responsible end' to Iraq war" (Aug. 16) that "having opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq as well as the 2007 surge, [President Obama's] commitment to democracy in Iraq is not as clear." This falsely characterizes both the cause for the US invasion and its effects, as well as the reasons that Mr. Obama opposed the invasion prior to March 20, 2003.

The United States invaded Iraq in violation of the UN charter and in defiance of much of the international community. Obama's position in 2003 sought ways other than war to deal with problems posed by Saddam Hussein. The Bush administration invaded Iraq on the false premise that the world was threatened by its (nonexistent) weapons of mass destruction.

The US has repeatedly discouraged Iraq from holding a referendum on whether US troops should be withdrawn. If democracy is the goal, it would be wise to learn the opinion of the Iraqi people regarding the continuing presence of US troops in Iraq.

Long live print

Regarding the opinion essay "Mainstream news media: not dead yet" (Aug. 16): Coincidence or brilliant layout and copy design? As a fervent defender of the "written word" (print journalism), I very much enjoyed your article. And I commend you for its placement just above your regular column titled, "How The World Press Views America" in which the logos of international newspapers are prominently displayed like travel stickers on a steamer trunk. A great display of real journalism.